UGA snapper Frix has a story to tell from his climb from walk-on to starter

For all that senior Ty Frix has achieved during his four seasons as Georgia’s snapper, it was his first accomplishment that he best remembers.

For the former walk-on from Calhoun, who has started 53 consecutive games for the No. 5 Bulldogs, it was all about the numbers.

“I remember coming back in from summer break my redshirt freshman year and I finally got a real number,” said Frix, a four-year starter who was named a permanent special teams captain in early December. “When I first got here, I was No. 132 and then I was No. 112 and then I jumped to No. 69, and I remember (place-kicker) Blair (Walsh) called me before I got back and said, ‘Dude, I’ve got something to tell you.’

“When I said, ‘What’s up?’ he said, ‘Well, you’ve just got to wait and see. Come to the locker room because we need to kick.’ I go in to the locker room and I can’t find my locker, because I’d been moved into the real locker room and I had a real number. That was something you never even dream about. It was a great experience and it’s been a fun journey.”

Frix, who earned a degree in biological engineering in the spring, is presently pursuing an MBA and was accepted by the Medical College of Georgia for the fall 2013 semester. He’s following in the footsteps of his father, Mitch Frix, who was Georgia’s snapper in 1981 and 1982 and is now an orthopedic surgeon in Calhoun and Dalton.

“My dad left some great footsteps for me to follow,” Frix said. “Regardless of whether he played here or not, getting a chance to play on the Georgia football team has been one of the best experiences of my life up to this point. I thank God my dad was able to come here before me and do this because I probably would have never dreamed I could do or push myself to do it.”

Another memorable snapshot in the career of Frix — who obviously relishes telling a good story — came in the spring of 2010, when he was awarded a scholarship by coach Mark Richt.

“The head coach doesn’t call you very much, and when he does, it’s usually for something really good or really bad,” Frix said. “I had an engineering final at 8 a.m. that day and when I got home, I went back to sleep. While I was asleep, I got a phone call from ‘unknown number’ and I just put the phone down and rolled back over. Then it rang again and I figured I’d better answer it.

“I said, ‘Hello?’ and Coach Richt said, ‘Ty?’ and I said, ‘Who is this?’ because I didn’t have his number in my phone. He said I needed to be in his office first thing Monday morning. I hung up the phone and called my dad and said, ‘What did I do?’ We were so worried about it, Dad drove down from Calhoun and waited for me while I was in Coach Richt’s office, and when I walked out of that meeting, I had a big smile on my face and I think my dad knew what was happening.”

When the 6-foot, 214-pound Frix began his Georgia career, he worked with kicker Walsh (now with the Minnesota Vikings) and punter Drew Butler (now with the Pittsburgh Steelers) and in his last season, he helped mentor a whole new group of specialists — punter Collin Barber, kicker Marshall Morgan and holder Adam Erickson.

“In the summer, Ty was always willing to work, whether it was giving me snaps to punt or working with field goals, and I stepped in and tried to get as many reps as I could, and he told me he felt most comfortable with me back there,” said Erickson, redshirt sophomore. “That helped me get the job and it helped me to be consistent with it.”

Added Morgan: “Ty Frix is like a big brother to me. He’s a role model and a mentor and an all-around great guy. We really look up to him. He made me feel real comfortable out there, and if your snapper and holder are comfortable, you’re comfortable.

“Going out there – from high school, where there might be 1,000 fans — to 92,000 fans is a major difference, but Ty made it feel like it was another high school game. He makes you feel comfortable and helps you zone out everything else out.”

A two-time Capital One Academic All-District selection (along with quarterback and roommate Aaron Murray), Frix has also distinguished himself in the classroom, earning a host of academic honor roll honors.

“He’s obviously a borderline genius, but he still works very hard and he deserves what he gets,” tight end Arthur Lynch said. “From a standpoint of his personality and character, it’s hard to find a guy who matches the qualities he has.”

And as his college football career ends on New Year’s Day against Nebraska in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando, Fla., Frix still has to occasionally pinch himself as a reminder that his dream has come true.

“It’s been a heck of a trip, it really has,” he said. “I wouldn’t trade anything in the world for it. Growing up, I never imagined I’d play here — it was always my goal just to go to Georgia — much less to actually be on the field. That’s a big step.”